Overwatch 2 might be the first sequel in history that players of the original begged the developers not to make. Through a small handful of gameplay changes and minor visual updates, it just barely manages to justify its own existence. It feels like it’s Blizzard’s attempt to restructure the monetization into a more profitable, industry-standard model, which people have rightly pointed out benefits the publisher, but doesn’t actually provide any value to the players. At first blush, Overwatch 2 comes across like a dark tulpa of the original - a product designed to increase profits and engagement without offering anything that meaningfully increases enjoyment. Within the broader context, Overwatch 2 follows this year’s Diablo: Immortal as just another anti-consumer title from a mega corp that used to actually care about its fans and reputation. There’s never been a particularly good answer to the question "Why does Overwatch 2 exist?", and I don’t anticipate there ever will
The cutthroat leader of the Junkers comes to Overwatch 2 in full force, bringing her axe, Carnage abilities, and a scattergun. Junker Queen compliments other attack characters thanks to her Commanding Shout, which increases the health and movement speed of herself and allies that are in the vicinity. This can be great for getting to targets fast, and giving that extra surge of health when things are getting to
There’s a few new options - most notably the presence of an in-game shop and battle pass. Loot boxes are gone for good, with premium currency and seasonal progression now used to earn skins and other cosmetics. Time will tell whether this model works, but Blizzard isn’t shy about putting it front and centre. Aside from that everything here is basically the same, and that includes graphical settings and other such options that I forgot to take screenshots of before being locked out of the review build. Trust me on this one.
But it doesn’t matter. Sure, it looks as if we’re about to take the point and win the match, but then our McCree gets killed mid-Deadeye and rage quits. As soon as he leaves, xTRiCkSHOTZZ69x phones it in and it’s 6v4. We’ve gone from Manchester United to nine-year-olds who kick a ball around a waterlogged pitch on Sunday mornings. I hate
Put it this way: I’m a Reinhardt main. I want to use my shield to close distances and control engagements. When I spot an opening, my job as main tank is to communicate that to the rest of the team so we can push forward as a unit. Ideally, the engagement process will go smoothly and I’ll have a support player keeping me healthy while I swing my Rocket Hammer as if I’m a massive, precision-engineered beyblade. I’ll synchronize my Earthshatter with a DPS ult so we can team kill and lock down the po
Losing a tank opened the door for major, much needed reworks to a lot of heroes. Tanks like Reinhardt and Orisa now have more utility and survivability since they have to tank for the entire team, while shield breakers like Bastion get to take a step back and fill a different role. I’m not suggesting that every character is perfectly balanced now, but I see so many improvements already. It’s hard not to be excited about the new Overwatch meta. A shakeup like this was never going to happen without a title cha
Many big multiplayer titles - such as Sea Of Thieves most recently - are beginning to implement seasonal updates as they just make more sense for everyone rather than releasing an entirely new game. Developers can still make additional money from those juicy microtransactions and battle passes. Meanwhile, players don't have to wait around for a new game to drop to get new content. In some cases like with Fortnite , the games can even receive a graphical overhaul . So if you can update games to this degree, why bother with a sequel? It's a waste of time and mo
The cosmetic menu has also received some cool updates, making it much easier to navigate and understand. Bold text is used to distinguish categories while a single glance at the menu is enough to see exactly what you have equipped at any given time. Seeing all of my unlocks transfer over to Overwatch 2 was also a sad reminder of how much time I’ve poured into this series. My accounts haven’t even combined yet either, so I promise you I have more than 14 D.Va skins to my name. All the voice lines unlocked too, I am dedicated to my girl.
If that wasn't enough, her Fortify ability will increase her health, reduce damage dealt to her, and allow her to walk through moves that would otherwise flinch and stun her. Orisa is a walking beast, and she can easily take care of whole squads with the right player and healer guiding her. Cooldowns and durations have been nerfed pretty heavily for Orisa, and while she's still an extremely competent pick, and one of the best perks Overwatch 2 out there, her slower and less damaging playstyle is underperforming in the current m